Small Hopes
by KamiKatt
Summary: Aly is a slave, Nawat meets her one day in the slave market. "Why are you separate?"..."I'm trouble. They haven't broken me yet."
1. Small Hopes

Aly sat in the back of the cage, knees drawn up to her chest, hazel eyes watchful

Aly sat in the back of the cage, knees drawn up to her chest, hazel eyes watchful. Not many had come to see her, and most of those had not lingered. The bruises and cuts that covered her ensured that. The fact that she was in 'solitary confinement', such as it was, meant little food, beatings, and a cage barely big enough for a dog.

"Why are you separate?" Aly looked up, startled out of her reverie. A tall young man looked at her curiously. She took a second look; something about him was different from the usual slave buyer. He was tall, with dark skin and eyes, and crow feathers in his black hair. "Why are you separate?" he asked again.

Aly opened her mouth, but nothing came from her parched throat. Closing it, she worked up a little saliva and tried again.

"I'm trouble." She croaked. "They haven't broken me yet. I've been here weeks, and they haven't broken me."

/\\/\\

Nawat frowned, his eyes assessing the girl in the cage. Clothed in a rough shift and with hair an inch long, she looked as if she should be frail and timid, but she was not. The crow still did not understand humans, though he'd been living as one for months, a part of the raka rebellion. He hadn't even intended to come to this part of the market, but he felt drawn to it for some reason. Nawat untied his water flask from his belt, looking around before squatting and offering it to the girl. "I am Nawat." She was very pretty, for a human. He thought, watching her drink it down.

/\\/\\

Aly eyed the flask doubtfully as he offered it to her, staying in the back of the cage. She wasn't sure she should trust Nawat, even if he was nice. But he stayed there, not even shifting into what might have been a more comfortable position as she watched. Finally, deciding the chance was worth it for the water, she moved the few inches required and snatched it, not caring for social niceties. She gulped the water at first, slowing as her belly filled and her throat felt less like sandpaper.

"Thank you." Aly handed the empty container back. He took it, no sign on his face of what he thought. Aly felt the need to fill the silence, so she talked. "I'm Aly of Pirate's Swoop."

"Why were you so thirsty?" he wanted to know. Aly shrugged, trying to look as if it didn't concern her. "If they feed and water me as little as possible, they save money, and they'll break me faster."

Rage flared in Nawat's eyes, and unconsciously she shrank against the back of the cage, even those few inches making her feel safer. Anger meant pain, her body told her. Even from a nice young man who'd offered her water.

/\\/\\

Nawat couldn't believe it, why did humans have others for slaves? And why did they treat them so badly if they wanted them to do things for them? He was angry at the men who'd hurt Aly, no one deserved being treated that way. Cloth rustled against metal, and Nawat looked back at his new friend. She was cowering in the back of the cage, watching him warily, every line of her tense. She was afraid. Of him.

"I'm sorry I scared you, Aly." Nawat reached between the bars and stroked his fingers through her hair, preening was always a good way to calm down crows, he hoped it worked with humans as well.

/\\/\\

Aly trembled under his touch, calming slowly as he made no move to hurt her. Eventually she was totally calm, and he retracted his hand and looked up at the sky. "I have to go, I'm late to someplace." And with that, he was gone. Aly felt an acute sense of loss, and leaned her head against the bars._ 'Stop that. You'll probably never see him again. It doesn't matter if he was nice, he'll forget you by tomorrow.' _


	2. Large Obstacles

**Due to an accident, this chapter was deleted. It has now been fixed. Enjoy!**

**Thank you for your patience.**

The beatings came again that night, but Aly felt them only distantly. Instead of seeing the greasy, slick little man whose job it was to break her, she saw the face of Nawat, the odd man who had been kind to her. It was an odd feeling, as if it had dried and withered almost away. Hope. A small hope. She fought back harder than she had been, the renewal of that one small emotion fire in her veins.

/\\/\\

Nawat visited again, this time bringing her a shiny pebble, that time bringing her a bug. He always stayed close by her cage, sitting or squatting. They developed a friendship; Aly politely refused the bugs, but accepted the water and other gifts. A hole scratched in the dirt hid her treasures.

/\\/\\

Nawat sat on the ground, no one stopped by anymore, her defiance renewed, her scrawny and beaten appearance a deterrent.

"You are hurt." He said, seeing new bruises and the gentle way she cradled her arm.

"When am I not hurt?" Aly grumbled, shooting a look at the back of Greasy's head, just visible as he haggled over a slave. Her cage had been moved, she knew it meant her time was running out.

"They made the collar choke you, your skin under it is all rubbed raw, and you didn't cradle your arm yesterday." He pointed out. "I brought you something. It might make your neck feel better." He reached into his belt pouch, removing a dark ball.

/\\/\\

Aly watched in fascination as the ball shaped itself into a being that somewhat resembled a man, with two legs, two arms, and a head. A streak of silver ran throughout the dark body. "What is it?" She breathed, strangely afraid of hurting or scaring it. "It's a darking." He explained, handing it to her. "His name is Silver. Put him around your neck."

"Hi!" Squeaked the creature as it rolled up her arm when she moved to touch it. Soon it was settling under the collar, fitting itself exactly under the collar so it wouldn't show. "Oh!" She said, startled. "It's cool." She tentatively touched the creature around her throat, stroking it as it began to hum.

"Buy me! Please!" Aly grasped Nawat's hand before he could retract it. "I might not be here tomorrow. Please." She begged. "It's been too long. They can't keep me, and they can't just let me go."

/\\/\\

Nawat turned his face away, trying to avoid his friend's desperate expression. He couldn't buy her. Like the rest of his cousins, he didn't have money. Crows don't need it, after all. He glanced back at Aly, wincing mentally at the hope in her eyes. She reached to rub at her collar, and an idea sparked. "I will try." He promised, smiling at Aly as he stood. "I have an idea." And he wandered away.


	3. A Crow's Escape

It was night, once again. Aly knew this to be her last, if Nawat didn't come through on his promise. And what was to say that he would? A few cheap, shiny baubles, some bugs? She ran her fingers through the scant, red-gold hair on her head and glared up at the sky. Pure bad luck, that's what caught her. The pirates shouldn't have _been _in the cove that time of year. Didn't they know when pirate season was? Honestly.

"Ow!" A sharp pinch brought her to reality, and she glared up at Greasy, the slaver who'd tried and failed to break her spirit for market. "Leave me alone, you bastard!" she snarled, baring her teeth as he yanked on her sore wrist to bring her to her feet.

"Now, is that any way to speak to me?" He leered, "specially as this may be _your last _night?"He pulled her closer, dangling the magicked key that would disable her slave's collar in front of her nose. "If yer nice, I may even─aargghh" he cut off, toppling forward before catching himself, spinning to see what had struck him, still gripping Aly's wrist.

It came again, this time with friends. The crows dive-bombed the slaver through the open bars of the cage, powerful blows with open claws that soon knocked the slaver to the ground. Helped by a kick from Aly as she tore her wrist loose. "Bastard." She spat, then looked up at the crows. "Thank you, though Gods only know why you'd..."

"Aly!" Nawat said, entering the cage for the first time, through the door left ajar by Greasy. "I brought friends." He smiled, holding up a blacksmith's tool, for cutting off slave collars. "And this."

"Nawat, you did it!" She exclaimed, throwing herself on her surprised friend for a hug. She quickly pulled away, cheeks red, and bent to look for the key. "I was worried. Come on, we have to hurry." She held the key up, then handed it to Nawat, turning around so he could use it on the collar.

* * *

Nawat arrived in the wake of his cousins, sent on ahead to help Aly if needed. He was relieved beyond belief to see she was safe. Surprised by the hug, it was a human thing, he tightened his arms around her briefly in response before she was gone again. Feather vibrated with pleasure, and he looked towards the slave docks. Fire lit the sky. The rebellion had provided a distraction, as promised.

Taking the key, Nawat tried to remember what the Balitang blacksmith had told him. Turn the key in the lock, whisper a phrase in Old Thak. _Then _use the tool to remove the collar. He turned the key, repeating the phrase carefully. There was no room for mistakes. Hefting the clippers, Corien had been offended when he heard Nawat call them that, and insisted on the right name, but it tickled the crow-man to see the big smith reduced to speechlessness and so he still called them clippers.

Cutting twice, he removed a five-inch section of collar, allowing Nawat to remove the entire thing and dropping it with a thud to the packed earth. Feather, around his neck, hummed and chirped at Silver, revealed by the absence of the collar.

Nawat looked up at the crows lining the bars and nodded. They took off into the orange-lit night.

"Come on, we have to hurry."

* * *

Aly felt the absence of the heavy collar with relief, reaching up to feel her bare (except for the darking still in residence) neck. The crows took off with low cawing, winging up to harass Stormwings who hung over the burning docks, feeding on confusion and fear.

"Come on, we have to hurry."

A hand grabbed her uninjured hand, this time in friendship, and led her from the cage. They traveled swiftly through the streets of Rajmuat. Aly tried to keep track of their trail, as her father had taught her, but the weeks of hardship were starting to take their toll on her body, and she found things blurring more and more as they ascended to richer streets.

They stopped at an intersection, because Aly was finding it harder to make herself move. Someone swept her feet up, lifting her and traveling on.

* * *

Finding they had to halt again, Nawat considered his options. They were close to Balitang house, but Aly simply couldn't move on her own anymore. Lifting her so he cradled her light body in his arms, he crossed the street. He looked down at the human who he had fallen in love with over the last few weeks. At the request of his god, he and his flock had become a sort of unofficial bodyguards for the twice-royals. (Actually, Kryprioth had bet very sparkly jewelry that they could keep the girls alive until one took the throne.) Nawat, always curious, had volunteered to become human, and teach the rebels the crow language, and act as a translator and whatever else was needed.

But he had been becoming bored, feeling next to useless. Nothing was done but talking, and the chattering didn't seem to accomplish much. Nawat had been sent out to do something useful, instead of moping about the house by Chenaol, the cook. It was then that he met Aly in the slave market. She'd become an escape for him. As he was out and about, looking for things to bring her, he had seen things actually _change_ in the city as the rebels picked up steam.

Entering the house from a side door, he avoided the main house and brought his burden, too light to be called truly a burden, straight to the infirmary.


End file.
